


Count Me In

by goddamnitkastlewrites



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-26 08:30:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13853937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddamnitkastlewrites/pseuds/goddamnitkastlewrites
Summary: First posted to goddamnitkastle.tumblr.com on March 3, 2018.The original summary is below:"*a gif of old Rose from Titanic saying it's been 84 years*Yes it has been old Rose! But who else is excited for Season 2 of Jessica Jones? I am and Jess and Trish make a cameo here (kind of).Anyway a major thanks to emo music for helping me come back.And yes I am still convinced that Karen was/is an emo kid and that Frank would genuinely love Islands In The Stream by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.Also yes this could be a sister fic to Just Try Your Best.Okay I’m done, I promise.Enjoy :)"





	Count Me In

“Okay I’m done.”

She’s reaching for something in her bag as he puts the last piece of his gyro into his mouth. He throws the wrapper in the backseat and sees her pull out an aux cable. Jesus, she really does have everything in that bag.

“No way, we’re on the job. You should be focusing on the building.”

“Frank no one has come in and out. And I’m sure you can watch for a minute while I change this music...”

“What’s wrong with my music?”

“For Christ’s sake Frank we’ve gone from Fleetwood Mac to Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.”

 _Islands in the Stream_  is softly playing in his van. They’re in Washington Heights on a stakeout for a story Karen needs to finish. Something drugs being sold out of a restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen something something the restaurant proprietor lived in the Heights and so it goes. It’d had only been an hour since they parked but Karen had been making comments since he picked her up.

“And that’s bad because...”

“Hey give me  _The Chain_  any day but I draw the line at Kenny Rogers.”

She has it all set to go and Kenny was replaced with...

_**Am I more than you bargained for yet?** _

“Oh no.”

She swats at his hand and places hers over the radio controls.

“You can have your music back in an hour.”

“You’re gonna make me listen to this?”

“You made me listen to Earth, Wind and Fire.”

He grunts, leans back into the seat. The song fills the silence.

“You can’t even understand what he’s saying.”

She doesn’t say anything.

Mercifully the song ends but it’s replaced with another one eerily similar. She shuffles through the songs, thankfully, and lands on one. It’s not as bad but it’s still the same whiny voice.

 ******_If I were sand_**  
**_And you were oceans_**  
**_The moon would be why you’re pulled to me_**

He turns his head to her, almost instinctively but he obviously catches himself. She’s staring at the building, her notebook in her lap and fiddling with her pen. Her eyes are far away though.

“So you uh, always liked this music huh?”

She blinks, comes back from that somewhere far away.

“Yeah I blame Kevin. Was happy with Britney Spears but I had to drive him to school and he couldn’t take it.”

She chuckles, again far away. To that place he can’t follow her to. It hits him how much of herself she hides and how much he doesn’t know.

“He sounded like a great kid.”

She sighs and bites her bottom lip.

“Look if you ever want to uh... just talk you know... that’s okay Karen.”

She turns to him and a moment is exchanged. Not as intense as the elevator but he understands what passes between them.

_Not now Frank. You know this isn’t my first rodeo and there are ghosts that still chase me. But you’ll be the first to know. I promise._

A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth and he takes it as a sign that she understands too.

_I know you, Karen. Not the Karen you display to the world but the real you. Take your time. I’ll be here._

She turns back to the building and her eyes go wide.

“Oh my God that’s him!”

Frank’s head jerks toward her direction and they both watch him head towards the station for the A train. And he’s carrying a briefcase.

“Okay it is... 9:43pm. So he must be heading to the Kitchen now to drop off. I have to call Jess...”

“Who?”

“Jessica Jones. She runs Alias Investigations, Trish Walker recommended her.”

“Trish Walker of  _Trish Talk_?”

“Yeah. I got friends Frank. We need to meet up more so I can tell you about them.”

“Yeah. Guess it’s been a while.”

She puts the phone to her ear. He hears the voice of a woman with a no bullshit attitude and who clearly drinks on a daily basis.

“Crap it keeps going to voicemail. Can you drop me off at the restaurant? I know I told you it was only a stakeout...”

He turns the keys and the van rumbles to life.

“It’s fine. But I’m coming with you.”

Just then a whiny emo boy sings...

 **_I got your picture_ **  
**_I'm coming with you_ **  
**_Dear Maria, count me in_ **  
**_There's a story at the bottom of this bottle_ **

“And please, change the music.”

**Author's Note:**

> Islands In The Stream is linked here:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQW7I62TNOw
> 
> Just Try Your Best is linked here:
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/11898150


End file.
